My Grandfather in the Vietnam War
Primary Source: Description: The figure above is a military medal that my grandfather received after he participated in the Vietnam War. There is also the screenshot of the Korean Marine Corps Website. The second picture is the album that is teeming with historical photos of my grandfather.
Source: The military medal is a perfect primary source because it is something that represents the whole event that my grandfather suffered. The album book is a primary source of the event because they were photos of the event during that time. The website of the Korean Marine Corps is a secondary source because people recorded this were not ones who had experienced the Vietnam War.
Recount of the Event: Originally there were basically two main reasons why he participated in the Vietnam War. He needed to earn money for his poor family. Another one was because of the things that happened to him when he was born. He was born in Hae-Ju, (Pre-1950 Korean War) North Korea. My grandfather was influenced by terrible communists as he grew up. His neighbors lost their property over time. So his family decided to make a run for it. My grandfather was in 5th grade that time. His family left all of their property and swiftly escaped North Korea during midnight. Memories like that drove him into path where he would want to stop communism. That caused my grandfather to go to Vietnam. At Vietnam my grandfather was an intelligence officer according to the website. He also had his own small squad that was commanded by him. He went to Vietnam for one year on 1965. He worked at an US military air force base. His purpose at that place was to capture communists that continuously attacked the base. It was a fairly important job because the US transferred supplies through that base. At Vietnam occasionally he found short amounts of time to rest. He was a very busy man with his fellow sad friends. They cared for one another everyday. My grandfather suffered from nostalgia of going back home and so did his fellow soldiers. After the time passed, he returned to Korea. But, an interesting thing happened after he left. The person who replaced him after he left died. The person's name was In-Ho Lee. He went to the same military school that my grandfather went to, but was only an year older than my grandfather. He was included in a plan to move the communists our of an area, but unfortunately he was ambushed by the communists. A grenade was thrown and he threw his body and sacrificed himself to protect the other soldiers. Currently, there is a statue of him in Korea. Therefore, my grandfather would have been killed if he had stayed longer in Vietnam.
Short explanation of the source's significance to the event: The first source was important to the event because it was the medal that my grandfather received after the Vietnam War. In the album book it showed photos of my grandfather with captured communists. The album book was the most significant source to the event because it showed every moment of the war. The website was also another important component to the event because it described my grandfather's job.
Interview of my Dad
Why did Grandfather have to participate in the Vietnam War?
He used to live in North Korea before the north and south were completely divided into separate countries. The communists abused the upper class people. Therefore, he left his properties and escaped to Seoul. So he didn’t want another Asian country to be occupied by communists. Second, he went in order to earn money.
Why did he become a soldier?
He was poor so he had no choice. Originally he wanted to go to Seoul National University, but instead he chose to Korea Naval Academy which was free.
Why did he choose to become a marine out of all the different categories?
He wanted to travel to many countries, but he realized that he didn’t like to stay in the ocean for a long time. he didn’t want to live on a ship because it would be a very difficult life. Therefore, he joined the marine corp.
How did he hang out with his fellow soldiers and his privates?
It was a very hard time because they could end up dead and they missed their family. So he tried to comfort his fellow soldiers and his privates.
How did he earn his military medal?
There was an US airbase, but it was ambushed and attacked by communists. So he protected the base from attacks which would allow the planes to land safely.
What happened to the marines after he left?
His troops continuously fought well with valor. Therefore, the Korean Marine Corp was known as “Ghost Hunting Korean Marines”. Whenever the communists met Korean Marines they were told to evade.
What did he do after the war?
About 4 years later he left the military to support his family financially. He moved to America to work for a company. He worked for a trading company. Later on, he also moved to Libya and Saudi Arabia.
What do you think about his life overall?
I think he made great choices in many ways. He was a patriot in my opinion. He fought for the country. He worked hard in the scorching, hot sun at foreign countries. He helped Korea earn a lot of money when Korea was poor. People like him contributed to the formation of big companies like Samsung, Hyundai, LG, etc.
Primary Source:
Description: The figure above is a military medal that my grandfather received after he participated in the Vietnam War. There is also the screenshot of the Korean Marine Corps Website. The second picture is the album that is teeming with historical photos of my grandfather.
Source: The military medal is a perfect primary source because it is something that represents the whole event that my grandfather suffered. The album book is a primary source of the event because they were photos of the event during that time. The website of the Korean Marine Corps is a secondary source because people recorded this were not ones who had experienced the Vietnam War.
Recount of the Event: Originally there were basically two main reasons why he participated in the Vietnam War. He needed to earn money for his poor family. Another one was because of the things that happened to him when he was born. He was born in Hae-Ju, (Pre-1950 Korean War) North Korea. My grandfather was influenced by terrible communists as he grew up. His neighbors lost their property over time. So his family decided to make a run for it. My grandfather was in 5th grade that time. His family left all of their property and swiftly escaped North Korea during midnight. Memories like that drove him into path where he would want to stop communism. That caused my grandfather to go to Vietnam. At Vietnam my grandfather was an intelligence officer according to the website. He also had his own small squad that was commanded by him. He went to Vietnam for one year on 1965. He worked at an US military air force base. His purpose at that place was to capture communists that continuously attacked the base. It was a fairly important job because the US transferred supplies through that base. At Vietnam occasionally he found short amounts of time to rest. He was a very busy man with his fellow sad friends. They cared for one another everyday. My grandfather suffered from nostalgia of going back home and so did his fellow soldiers. After the time passed, he returned to Korea. But, an interesting thing happened after he left. The person who replaced him after he left died. The person's name was In-Ho Lee. He went to the same military school that my grandfather went to, but was only an year older than my grandfather. He was included in a plan to move the communists our of an area, but unfortunately he was ambushed by the communists. A grenade was thrown and he threw his body and sacrificed himself to protect the other soldiers. Currently, there is a statue of him in Korea. Therefore, my grandfather would have been killed if he had stayed longer in Vietnam.
Short explanation of the source's significance to the event: The first source was important to the event because it was the medal that my grandfather received after the Vietnam War. In the album book it showed photos of my grandfather with captured communists. The album book was the most significant source to the event because it showed every moment of the war. The website was also another important component to the event because it described my grandfather's job.
Interview of my Dad
Why did Grandfather have to participate in the Vietnam War?
He used to live in North Korea before the north and south were completely divided into separate countries. The communists abused the upper class people. Therefore, he left his properties and escaped to Seoul. So he didn’t want another Asian country to be occupied by communists. Second, he went in order to earn money.
Why did he become a soldier?
He was poor so he had no choice. Originally he wanted to go to Seoul National University, but instead he chose to Korea Naval Academy which was free.
Why did he choose to become a marine out of all the different categories?
He wanted to travel to many countries, but he realized that he didn’t like to stay in the ocean for a long time. he didn’t want to live on a ship because it would be a very difficult life. Therefore, he joined the marine corp.
How did he hang out with his fellow soldiers and his privates?
It was a very hard time because they could end up dead and they missed their family. So he tried to comfort his fellow soldiers and his privates.
How did he earn his military medal?
There was an US airbase, but it was ambushed and attacked by communists. So he protected the base from attacks which would allow the planes to land safely.
What happened to the marines after he left?
His troops continuously fought well with valor. Therefore, the Korean Marine Corp was known as “Ghost Hunting Korean Marines”. Whenever the communists met Korean Marines they were told to evade.
What did he do after the war?
About 4 years later he left the military to support his family financially. He moved to America to work for a company. He worked for a trading company. Later on, he also moved to Libya and Saudi Arabia.
What do you think about his life overall?
I think he made great choices in many ways. He was a patriot in my opinion. He fought for the country. He worked hard in the scorching, hot sun at foreign countries. He helped Korea earn a lot of money when Korea was poor. People like him contributed to the formation of big companies like Samsung, Hyundai, LG, etc.